Monthly Archives: November 2014

I have thought for some years that it was only a matter of time before Disney would gain a larger foothold in India. Finally, we can now watch the iconic Mickey Mouse himself speak in Hindi and travel around India – facing unmistakably Indian features in the new Disney India shorts such as the one above.

The Indian cartoon production market is still in its nascent stage, but I would expect this to change very soon considering that the Indian youth population is burgeoning and the amount of rich material in India’s history and culture that could be depicted. There is right now a great deal of opportunity for Disney, Pixar, and other animation companies to create profitable cartoon series and movies for Indian kids.

Like this:

I’ll trade you my spaghetti for some of your chicken curry at 1900 hours; deal?

We live in a world that feels like it’s swirling in conflicts or emerging ones. As usual the United States as the sole military superpower is forced into the lonely role of security guarantor of last resort. If Russia were to over-run Ukraine, ISIS to over-run Iraq, Ebola to over-run any teetering West African regime, or China to make a move on Japan, the United States would likely step in, if reluctantly. The threat of US force is still a powerful deterrent around the world.

Very much to the contrary, India is quiet when it comes to global conflicts. This is not just a question of desire, but also capability. India’s military is relatively unsuited for power projection and cannot operate effectively beyond South Asia. The nation’s homeland defenses are unacceptably vulnerable themselves. Just 10 determined men from Pakistan boated right over and brought Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, to a near standstill in 2008. Not much has changed since then. Read the rest of this entry →